The Mandarin’s Saturday Selections for 14th June 2025
The Mandarin’s Saturday Selections from York & Sandown Park
York
Sky Bet Race To The Ebor Grand Cup Stakes (Listed) 3.00
Absurde (nb)
Something in white is surely winning this! That said, that’s three of the five, so no prizes for me! It’s Willie Mullins’s Absurde that I think will be the one to side with, as he’s got conditions in his favour and won the Ebor over course and distance two years back. Plus the yard’s form cannot be faulted, so with some Group One entries in the diary, Absurde should be winning this. Both Al Qareem and Alsakib are closely matched with the selection, though Al Qareem is slightly worse off at these weights, but it’s Absurde that gets the nudge from me.
Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap 3.35
Fast Track Harry
A bit of a trappy sprint all round, with plenty of likely types, but the ground’s likely to be really zippy, so I’ll gamble on Fast Track Harry to keep up the winning habit for Clive Cox. He won going away pretty convincingly under Finley Marsh last month at Doncaster, and I think this Harry Angel colt has plenty more to come. The hat-trick seeking Double Rush looks a solid prospect for Charlie Hills, while William Haggas’s Maelstrom can’t seem to stop scoring and goes for a four-timer, so with course form here completes my shortlist. Fast Track Harry as a big each-way gamble is where I’m going to go in an open contest.
Reg Griffin Appreciation EBFstallions.com Maiden Stakes 4.10
Stellar Sunrise
Andrew Balding’s Stellar Sunrise didn’t exactly fire out of the gates on his debut under rules at Goodwood last month, but got it together a bit to finish a decent second. I do imagine this Space Blues colt is going to come on a lot for that, so often does racing experience bring these two year olds forward, and that’s where I’m sticking my pin. The expensive breeze-ups buy, Tactical Formation, lining up for the ever growing Wathnan Racing squad rates an obvious danger, and Karl Burke’s Yy Nation should also be worth a market check. Stellar Sunrise to make the most of his racetrack nous to land this.
Sandown Park
BetMGM Scurry Stakes (Listed) 2.40
Star Of Mehmas (nap)
A really, really good race on paper, with Star Of Mehmas the one to beat for me. With the notable booking of Ryan Moore, Richard Hughes nippy filly might just have too much pace up Sandown’s specialist sprint track, so I can see Ryan trying the same front-running tactics he tried at York last month, which almost paid off, until Oisin Murphy collared him in the dying strides on Tropical Storm. In any case, Clive Cox’s Hold A Dream is also sure to be smartly away, and Simon & Ed Crisfords’ Coto De Caza was a Group 3 winner last season so commands respect. Star Of Mehmas to go in under Ryan Moore from the pacey side of the draw.
BetMGM Fillies’ Handicap (Div 1) 4.25
Previse
Harry Charlton’s Oasis Dream filly caused a bit of a stir when an 80/1 winner at Haydock Park on just her second start, and it’s unlikely she’ll be at that price again. Hey ho, there you go, but with the newly retained Juddmonte jockey Colin Keane drafted in, she’s going to get plenty of backing here. This definitely looks a workable mark on her handicap debut, so Previse is the one to follow ahead of James Fanshawe’s Soho Square.
BetMGM Fillies’ Handicap (Div 2) 5.00
Star Of Dubai
I think I’ll take a chance on Andrew Balding’s Star Of Dubai for the second of these Fillies’ Handicaps. There’s a few in here with a case for, including the prolific all-weather scorer Lady Manzor, William Haggas’s Take A Breath and Ralph Beckett’s Renewal, but the selection won on firm ground at Bath a month ago, so with conditions much the same and Oisin Murphy taking up the reins, there’s lots to like. Star Of Dubai to make it two from three on the turf.
The Mandarin
